KUCHING (UCAN): The Archdiocese of Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, delivered personal protective equipment (PPE) that included 10,000 KN95 facemasks and 6,200 medical isolation gowns to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) on June 11 as the country grappled with rising cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV2).
Archbishop Simon Poh handed over the package to Local Government and Housing minister, Dr. Sim Kui Hian, and SGH directo,r Dr. Ngian Hie Ung.
The archbishop expressed gratitude for the “generous contributions from Catholics and friends throughout Sarawak, Malaysia and overseas,” reported Today’s Catholic, the official archdiocesan publication.
“We want to contribute towards protecting our medical personnel,” he said during the handover.
The donations were collected in collaboration with Bishop Joseph Hii of Sibu, and Bishop Richard Ng of Miri, who joined in following an appeal from Archbishop Poh last year seeking to procure PPE to assist frontline doctors and health workers.
The Church’s gesture of solidarity comes amid a rising tide of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, with Sarawak state in Borneo being among the worst-hit areas.
Malaysia has recorded more than 662,000 cases and 3,968 deaths from the contagion. On June 14, it registered 4,949 new cases including 1,523 in Selangor, 744 in Sarawak, 503 in Kuala Lumpur and 430 in Johor.
The government extended the ongoing total lockdown to June 28, while a mass vaccination drive has been rolled out with more than 13 million citizens already registered for inoculation.
The prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, has faced criticism for mishandling the Covid-19 response amid a political fiasco and power battle between the ruling and opposition alliances.
Rumours are rife that the Muhyiddin future hangs in the balance as Malaysia’s king, Abdullah of Pahang, convened a Conference of Rulers (COR), a royal body made up of the king and eight hereditary sultans of four states, on June 16.
